Welcome to today's Daily PBJ devotional. Read Exodus 31, Proverbs 7, and Psalm 79 if you're reading the Old Testament readings this year. This devotional is about Exodus 31. Then the Lord said to Moses, See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft. Moreover, I have selected Aholiub, son of Ahesamach, of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant. I have also given skill to all the craftsmen, that they may fashion all that I have commanded you, the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the other furnishings of the tent, the table with its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, as well as the woven garments, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to serve as priests, in addition to the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the holy place. They are to make them according to all that I have commanded you. And the Lord said to Moses, Tell the Israelites, Surely you must keep my sabbaths, for this will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. Keep the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Anyone who profanes it must surely be put to death. Whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from among his people. For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. The Israelites must keep the Sabbath, celebrating it as a permanent covenant for the generations to come. It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth. But on the seventh day, he rested and was refreshed. When the Lord had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God. This is God's word. At times in my life, I have heard people make negative comparisons between secular work and the work of the ministry. For example, one successful businessman said, he is just building a bonfire, because 1 Corinthians 3 talks about a man's work being either gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw. I don't think he was interpreting that passage in 1 Corinthians 3 correctly. But his interpretation was that saving souls, teaching the word, and building up Christians was work that would last for eternity, while everything else would just burn up. The previous chapters in Exodus described the tabernacle and all the furniture and tools that the priests would need to minister before the Lord. Here in Exodus 31 verses 1-5 we read, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft." Again, those are the opening words of our passage for today. This man, Bezalel, was a godly man. The Bible says he was filled with God's Spirit. but also with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. But he had other gifts, too, ones that are not usually connected with godliness. Those gifts were skills to make artistic designs for wood in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Where did he get these skills? They were gifts of God, which probably means that he had some natural ability in these areas. Where were these gifts honed? They were honed making bricks and tools and other stuff as a slave in Egypt. For the first time in his life, this godly man had the opportunity to use his secular skills for the Lord's work. But was this the first time in his life that his work mattered? No. Let me say that again. No, it's not the first time in his life where his work mattered. The rest of his work life was not building a bonfire at all. And the same is true for you, no matter how you earn your living. The work you do as a Christian matters, whether or not it is done in secular or sacred contexts. Here are some reasons why. First, your work matters because God created us to work, and to make skillful and practical use of this earth and the resources in it. In Genesis 1-28, God commanded Adam and Eve to fill the earth and subdue it. In Genesis 2, before Eve was even created, verse 15 says, the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Those are the words of the NIV. In Genesis 2-15. Working the garden and taking care of it was God's will for Adam. The curse on Adam when he sinned was not that he would have to work, but that his work would be hard. See Genesis 3, 17 through 19 for that. When you do work that makes good use of God's creation, you're doing the will of God. That's what God commanded humanity to do all the way back in the Garden of Eden. And so when you do it, when you take God's creation and make it useful, you're doing the will of God. And that work matters. A second reason why your so-called secular work matters is that doing secular work develops skills that can be used in sacred contexts. That's what happened to Bezalel. If you've ever used anything you've learned in your profession to help our church or some other ministry, you've been used by God to serve him. That work matters. A third reason why work matters is doing secular work gives you the opportunity to develop godliness in your life. Working in a frustrating world because of the curse of Genesis 3, and with frustrating people because they're fallen, like you are, gives the believer the opportunity to develop the fruit of the spirit. Working in secular contexts can teach you to love the unlovely. to have joy when things fail or disappoint you, to be at peace when there's turmoil all around you, and so on. Note that in our text, Exodus 31.3, God described Bezalel as a godly man. He was, quote, filled with the spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, and with knowledge. That godliness was developed as a slave in Egypt, using his skills to serve a godless man. It was hardly a waste of time, then, given the difference it made in his life, honing godliness in him. And that's why your work matters, too. As you see your work as an opportunity to serve the Lord, to love the unlovely, it builds godliness into your life. And that matters. Fourth, doing secular work pays you, which supports your family. And through giving, it supports God's work financially as well, so work matters for that reason as well. Now, I kept using the scare quotes around the word secular throughout this devotional for a reason, and that's because I don't really think there is a true distinction between secular work and sacred work. Please do not consider your work futile and unimportant. It doesn't matter if you are a stay-at-home parent, a CEO, an assembly line worker, a brain scientist, or a teacher or a pastor. What matters is that you are faithful to do what God calls you to do and to cultivate godliness in your life as you do it. And so I hope that gives you some encouragement in your work and I hope it helps you to look at your work differently and go about it in a different way for the glory of God. I hope you have a great day today. May God bless you. See you next time.